A parent moves in: furniture for comfort and safety

Three things make a home work for a parent who is moving in, because standing up, lying down and walking in the dark are where a home gets hard. A seat at their knee height, with arms to push on. A bed they can sit on the edge of with their feet flat on the floor. A clear, lit path from the bed to the bathroom. Everything else is detail. This guide goes room by room through Triple J's range, with the heights and the words from each product page. Prices are as listed on 20 October 2026.

Four numbers to take shopping

Measure before you buy, not after. You need four numbers.

1. Knee height. Have them sit on a kitchen chair with their feet flat. Measure from the floor to the back of the knee. That is the seat height to aim for, in a chair and on a bed. Most dining chairs sit at 45 cm. Many lounge chairs sit lower than that, which is why they are hard to get out of.
2. The width of the walker or stick. If they use a walking frame, measure it across the widest point and add a hand's width on each side. That is the path you have to keep clear through the whole home.
3. The doors. The front door, the bedroom door and the bathroom door, at the narrowest point with the door open. A bed arrives in boxes; a lift chair arrives as a chair.
4. The bed they have now. Floor to the top of the mattress. If they get in and out of it well, match it. If they do not, aim for knee height.

Write the four numbers on your phone. Every section below uses them.

The lounge: the chair they will live in

An older person spends more of the day in one chair than in any other piece of furniture. Choose that chair first, and spend the most on it.

A lift chair stands them up. A lift chair is an electric recliner whose seat rises and tilts forward on a motor. Standing takes a press of a button instead of a push off the arms. Triple J has two in stock.

• Ascot fabric lift chair, $1,302. W80 x D93 x H109 cm. The page lists a dual motor "for independent control of leg and recline", a weight rating of 150 kg, water repellent fabric, a 5-year frame warranty and 2 years on the foam, fabric, mechanism and motor.
• Texas XL dual motor lift chair, $1,649. W100 x D90 x H115 cm, so 20 cm wider than the Ascot, with a weight rating of 200 kg. The same dual motor and the same warranty.

"Dual motor" matters. One motor runs the footrest and another runs the back, so the back can stay up while the legs are raised. A single-motor chair moves both together. A person who wants their feet up but needs to sit upright to read or to eat needs two motors.

Check the width against the doorway. The Texas XL is 100 cm wide; measure the hall and the lounge door before it arrives.

A recliner lounge for the evening. If they stand up well and want a chair for television, an electric recliner raises the legs without the lift.

• Momba fabric electric recliner lounge, from $784 for the single seater (107W x 96D x 105H cm). The page lists single motor electric recliners with USB chargers, "sleek curved arms and high backrests", a 5-year frame warranty and 3 years on the foam and springs. It is flat-packed with minor assembly. The 2 seater is $1,220 and the 3 seater is $1,385, if the rest of the family wants the same.

The second chair: firm, with arms. Not every chair in the lounge needs a motor. The chair for a visitor, or for them when they want to sit up straight, needs three things. A firm seat that does not sink. A seat at about knee height. Arms that reach far enough forward to push on.

• Almada heavy weight armchair, $609. W110 x D92 x H89 cm. The page lists a galvanised steel frame "weight rated to 300kg", foam density 31D/28D, "side pillow arms", a 10-year frame warranty and 5 years on the foam and springs. Pillow arms are soft and comfortable but give less to push on. Sit in it first.
• Omega PU tub chair, from $454. 82H x 75W x 69D cm, with a seat height of 45 cm on the page, a weight capacity of 130 kg and a 5-year structural warranty. The tub shape puts an arm on each side at the same height. The page's own words on the PU leather: "durable and easy to clean".

The sofa. A deep, low sofa is the hardest seat in the house to leave. If the lounge needs a sofa, choose one whose page gives the seat height.

• Alex fabric 2 seater sofa, $867. 166W x 90D x 87H cm, with a seat height of 47 cm on the page, foam and pocket springs, and a 5-year frame warranty. 47 cm is about the height of a dining seat, so it is a sofa a person can stand from without a hand.

Before any sofa, read Choosing a sofa that lasts on this blog: measure the wall, then the doors, the hallway and the stairs the sofa has to pass through.

Fabric or leather for a chair that is sat in all day? Spills happen at the chair they eat and drink in. The Ascot's page says its fabric is water repellent; the Omega's says its PU leather is easy to clean. Either is fine. A loose cover that comes off for the wash is the third answer, and the one most people forget to ask about.

What to skip in the lounge. Rocking chairs, because a seat that moves when you push on it is a seat you fall back into. Swivel chairs, for the same reason. Any chair with a seat lower than their knee. Footstools and magazine racks that live in the walkway.

The dining room: a chair with arms

Meals take longer, and a dining chair with no arms is the chair people slide off. Two of Triple J's dining armchairs put the seat height on the page.

• Porter solid timber dining armchair, $364. 61W x 59D x 78H cm, with a seat height of 45 cm and an armrest height of 69 cm, in ashwood with a woven rope seat. It comes fully assembled. A 69 cm arm is 24 cm above the seat, which is a good height to push from. Five in stock as we write.
• Albany natural rattan dining armchair, $272. 59D x 53W x 96H cm, with a seat height of 45 cm, an arm height of 55 cm and the high back the page describes. Fully assembled.

Check the arm against the table. A dining table top is about 75 cm from the floor. An arm that cannot slide under the table edge keeps the chair, and the person, 10 cm further from the plate. The Porter's 69 cm arm slides under most tables; measure yours.

Give the chair room behind it. The dining post on this blog, Count the edge, not the chairs, says to leave at least 90 cm between the table edge and the nearest wall or furniture. For a person who stands up slowly and turns with a stick, 90 cm is the minimum, not the aim.

The bedroom: the bed at the right height

The number that matters is the top of the mattress, not the height of the headboard. A product page gives the headboard height (H120 cm on most of the beds below) and the overall size; the mattress you add yourself. Base plus mattress should land at knee height. A thick mattress on a tall base makes a bed they climb into. A thin mattress on a low base makes one they fall into.

A solid timber frame with a headboard to sit against. A headboard is what they lean on to read and what they hold to swing their legs out. Choose a frame with one, and with slats that are supported in the middle.

• Ella solid timber bed, from $1,203 for the queen (the king is $1,302). Queen W161 x D223 x H120 cm, in solid acacia, with an "angled headboard", solid timber slats with a central support leg, and a 12-month warranty. Assembly required.
• Augusta solid timber bed frame, from $956. Double 150W x 208D x 110H cm, king 195W x 219D x 110H cm ($1,071); the queen is out of stock as we write. Solid pine with timber slats and central support legs. Flat-packed, assembly required, 12 months.
• Outback solid timber bed with 2 bed-end drawers, from $1,302 for the queen (W169 x D224 x H120 cm; the king is $1,477). 100% solid NZ pine with full extension metal drawer runners. Bed-end drawers put the spare blankets where no one has to kneel to reach them.

Solid timber or veneer? Solid timber, veneer or MDF on this blog explains the difference. For a bed that is leant on, sat on and pushed off every day, the slat support and the warranty matter more than the finish.

The foot end. A tall footboard is a thing to walk into at night. The pages above give the headboard height; the foot end is in the photo. Choose a bed whose foot end sits below the mattress line, so there is nothing to catch a shin on in the dark.

A smaller bed for a smaller room. A parent's room is often the spare room, and a queen leaves no path around it. A king single is 107 cm wide; it leaves a walkway where a queen would not.

• Memphis king single bed with drawer, $745. Fabric, in pearl grey or dark grey, with "1 Large Drawer Storage" under the bed. Assembly required, 12 months.
• Verona all white single bed, $565. W94 x L190 x H120 cm, the supplier's overall size. Flat-packed, 12 months.

A bedside at mattress height. The lamp, the glasses and the water need to sit at the height of the mattress top, or a little above it. A lying arm has to reach them. Three solid timber bedsides, with their heights:

• Ella 2 drawer bedside, $372. W55 x D42 x H60 cm, solid acacia, full extension runners, fully assembled.
• Augusta 2 drawer bedside, $279. W55 x D44 x H57 cm, solid pine, full extension metal runners with black metal handles, fully assembled, 12 months.
• Verona 2 drawer bedside, $292. 56W x 40D x 54H cm, fully assembled, 12 months.

Full extension runners mean the drawer comes all the way out, so the back of the drawer is reachable without a stretch. Handles matter too: a bar handle is easier to grip than a small knob.

A lamp with a switch they can find. The ceiling light switch is by the door. The lamp switch has to be by the bed, and it has to be found in the dark.

• Bridgehampton rattan base bedside lamp, $157. 42 x 42 x 61 cm, with a "white cord with online switch" in the page's words: the switch sits on the cord, so it can lie on the bedside top. 12 months.
• Addison glass base table lamp, $124. 41 x 41 x 67 cm, with a push-button switch, and it takes a bayonet bulb up to 60 watts. Two in stock, so while it lasts.

Run the cord along the wall, never across the path to the door.

Drawers at standing height. A tallboy puts the everyday clothes between hip and shoulder, so nothing needs a bend to the floor or a reach above the head.

• Augusta 4 drawer tallboy, $857. W90 x D44 x H115 cm, solid pine, full extension runners, fully assembled, 12 months. At 115 cm the top drawer opens below shoulder height for most adults.
• Ella 4 drawer tallboy, $1,071. W90 x D42 x H120 cm, solid acacia. Its page carries a warning worth repeating for any tall chest: "This furniture may tip over if not properly secured. Always anchor it to a wall." Anchor every tallboy, and put the heavy things in the bottom drawers.

A seat to dress on. Socks and shoes are easier sitting down, and the edge of a bed is a soft, sloping seat. A bench at the end of the bed or by the wardrobe gives a firm one.

• Jasper solid timber blanket box storage bench, $636. 120W x 46D x 46H cm, solid mindi, fully assembled. The lid lifts for blankets, and 46 cm is dining-seat height.
• Lauren upholstered seat ottoman, $329. W148 x D90 x H46 cm, a birch frame with ash legs and high density foam. Three in stock as we write.

Between the bedroom and the bathroom

The walk from the bed to the bathroom is made half asleep, in the dark, more than once a night. Furniture cannot fix a bathroom. Grab rails and shower seats are hardware, not furniture, and an occupational therapist can say which ones suit the person. What furniture can do is clear the path and light it.

• Nothing on the floor between the bed and the door. No rug with an edge, no basket, no cord, no footstool. If a chair lives in the bedroom, it lives against a wall.
• A light they can turn on before they stand. The bedside lamp above, with the switch on the cord. A second lamp on a console in the hall, left on low, saves hunting for a wall switch.
• A seat near the bathroom door. A dressing bench outside the bathroom, the Jasper above or the Havana below, gives a place to sit before and after a shower. The edge of the bath is not a seat.
• Keep the path the width of the walker. Take the number from the start of this guide and walk the route with a tape. A bedside that sticks out past the mattress, or a tallboy drawer left open, narrows it.
• Towels and clothes at hand height. A hook on the back of the door beats a rail at the far end of the room. Nothing they need every day goes on the floor or on the top shelf.

The entry: a seat for shoes and a place for keys

The front door is where people hurry, carry things and look down. Two pieces make it calmer.

• Havana solid timber dining or entryway bench, from $336. 124W x 35D x 46H cm in sundried ash; the 174 cm size is $445, in ash or white. A 46 cm seat is the height of a dining chair, which is the right height for putting on shoes. It is 35 cm deep, so it takes little of the hall.
• Hudson solid timber 1 drawer console table, $487. 120W x 32D x 77H cm, solid mindi, with a full extension drawer. At 32 cm deep it leaves the hallway open, and 77 cm is a comfortable height for keys, the post and a lamp without bending.

Leave the path past them at the walker's width, and put the bench where a hand can reach the wall or the console while standing up from it. A console with a lamp on it is also the place for the night light that shows the way to the bathroom.

Walkways and light, through the whole home

Six rules that apply in every room.

1. 90 cm clear, everywhere they walk. The dining post's rule for chairs is a good rule for every path. If the walker is wider than 70 cm, make it more.
2. Heavy pieces against the walls, nothing in the middle. A coffee table in the centre of the lounge is the piece most often walked into. If it stays, keep it to one side of the chair, not in front of it, and choose rounded corners.
3. Switches where the hand is, not where the eye is. A switch on the cord or on the base, at seat height or mattress height. Never a lamp whose switch is under the shade.
4. Cords along the skirting. Tape them down if you have to.
5. Everything used daily between hip and shoulder. Drawers, hooks, the kettle, the remote. Nothing on the floor, nothing on the top shelf.
6. Sit in it before you buy it. Triple J's showroom at 590 Hume Hwy, Yagoona, is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, and closed on weekends. Bring the person the chair is for. Their knees decide, not yours.

Delivery and assembly

A lift chair and a bed frame are mid to large items in Triple J's words, so furniture removalists deliver them, and "they'll text you the day before delivery". Most orders are dispatched within 3 to 10 days when stock is available; the store's terms call delivery times estimates and aim for delivery within 5 weeks of the order. Plan the room change for after the text, not before.

Several of the pieces above are flat-packed: the Augusta bed, the Memphis bed and the Verona bed say assembly is required on their pages, and the Ella tallboy's page says to anchor it. Triple J's home page says professional assembly is available alongside delivery for most furniture types; ask when you order, so the bed is built and the tallboy anchored before the person moves in. Orders may be cancelled within 2 working days of purchase; after that a 15% cancellation fee applies.

The short version

Measure their knee height, their walker and the doors. Buy the chair first: a lift chair if standing is hard, a firm armchair with a 45 cm seat if it is not. Put the bed at knee height, a bedside at mattress height, and a lamp with the switch on the cord. Keep every path 90 cm wide and lit from where they sit or lie. Then go to Yagoona on a weekday and sit in it together.

Prices are as listed on 20 October 2026 and stock changes daily; each product page shows the current price and stock.